1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for the secure provision of media programs such as audiovisual materials to subscribers for storage and/or viewing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Media programs such as television and radio programs were first provided to viewers via terrestrial broadcast networks. Such media programs were provided to viewers/listeners free of charge. More recently, this free-of-charge dissemination model has been augmented with a fee-for-service and/or fee-for-view model in which paying subscribers are provided access to a greater variety and number of media programs, including video programs, audio programs and the like, by cable, satellite and terrestrial broadcasts. Further, in current media program subscription business models, subscribers are typically offered services from a small number of providers (e.g. DIRECTV or ECHOSTAR, or the approved local cable provider) each of which typically provide a large number of media channels from a variety of sources (e.g. ESPN, HBO, COURT TV, HISTORY CHANNEL). To assure that only subscribers receive the media programs, each service provider typically encrypts the program material and provides the specialized equipment that is necessary for the customer to decrypt them so that they can be viewed.
Increasingly, individuals are using the Internet to gain access to media programs of all kinds. Recent wide-scale availability of digital subscriber line (DSL), fiber optic and cable modems have increased the bandwidth of data that can be provided to homes via the Internet. While these high bandwidth sources are still primarily used to obtain audio media programs, video media programs are increasingly transmitted via the Internet. However, while the Internet provides additional channels by which media programs may be provided to subscribers, the Internet also presents many challenges and opportunities regarding conditional access architectures. For example, transmission of information via the Internet can be performed using Transport Layer Security (TLS) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) cryptographic protocols to provide secure communication of media programs and other information. However, while such protocols can be used to securely transmit information, they do not provide the level of security nor the control over the use of the media program that media program providers require in a typical subscription system.
Accordingly, there is a need for access to media services via the Internet that provides security superior to that which can be obtained with internet protocol (IP) techniques alone, and which provides increased flexibility in how the media programs thus transferred are used. The present invention satisfies that need.